In what is harrowing news, a recent study has found that the fatality rate among seniors who have experienced a fall has risen more than 50 percent since 2000. While this is disappointing news, there are many things that members of our senior population could do to help avoid a fall. If you are a senior citizen, or concerned about the safety of an older loved one, take heed of the following tips:

• Eyes: Ensure that you have the proper eyewear or strong enough vision to avoid the use of said eyewear. Our vision changes as we age which not only can impact our vision, but also the effectiveness of glasses as eyewear prescriptions become outdated.
• Medication: As humans age, they also tend to use more prescription and over the counter medication. It is important to ensure that one is aware of all the different ways their medication can affect them; many prescriptions and over the counter drugs affect motor movement, balance, and wakefulness. If you believe that your medication is having more than negligible side effects on your movement, It might be a good idea to contact your prescribing doctor.
• Staying active: Maintaining methods of exercise into old age is essential to minimizing the risk of a fall. Even if one is limited in the type of activities they can perform, there are many simple ways to get heart rate up and improve overall health. Walking, biking, and rowing machines are three safe and effective ways to stay in shape at any age.

While one might be more likely to fall as they age, this does not mean that the blame is exclusively on the fault of a senior citizen if they experience a fall. Depending on the location, it is the responsibility of home owners, business owners, or the government to ensure that walkways are safe to be used by all citizens. A condition such as a hole in the sidewalk, is a dangerous condition regardless of whether a 20-year-old or 80-year-old is impacted by it. With this being said, if you have experienced a fall of some kind that has injured you, it is important that you contact an experienced trip & fall attorney. Zalman, Schnurman & Miner P.C. are dedicated personal injury attorneys who have faithfully been serving the Metro New York Area for over 30 years. For a free consultation, contact our firm by phone at 1800-Lawline, or through email at info@1800lawline.com